Suicide In Idaho: Let’s Talk About It

It’s a complex subject that goes under the radar, yet one would be hard pressed to find someone in Eastern Idaho who hasn’t been affected, in some way, by suicide.

“People are afraid to talk about suicide,” said Jeni Griffin, executive director of Suicide Prevention Action Network Eastern Idaho.

But, Jeni Griffin is not one of them.

“Todd was our middle child, a great kid,” said Griffin. “He had a lot of friends, really involved in school and the community.”

But when Todd was 16, there were subtle changes.

“He’d withdrawn from his friends, wasn’t doing the usual activities he likes to do,” said Griffin. “Sleeplessness, loss of appetite — some of those things you just think are teenagers growing up. Looking back now, we can really recognize those signs.”

It’s been nine years, and the memories of Todd still fill the Griffin’s home, his picture smiling down from various walls.

But those memories are doing so much more than that. They drove Griffin to help establish SPAN Eastern Idaho in 2006, working to give a voice to a subject often left so hushed.

“We’ve really got to work through the stigma issues and not be afraid to talk about it,” said Griffin.

Especially considering Idaho is fourth in the nation for suicide rates, according to SPAN, 67 percent above the national average.

Last year, 13 percent of students made a plan on how they would kill themselves, according to the 2011 Idaho Youth Risk Behavior Survey. That means in each classroom, four students thought seriously about suicide. What’s worse, stats show two from each class actually attempted suicide.

“There is no state agency for suicide prevention in Idaho,” said Griffin. “There’s no state funding in Idaho. I don’t know if that alarms you, but it alarms me.”

Last year, the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls became the first in Idaho to have “hope” signs posted at each end. But the number on the sign is an 800 number, not a 208 number. That’s because Idaho is the only state in the country without its own suicide hotline after it was disbanded in 2002.

“One thing that we’re really proud of is we’re going to get our hotline up and running by the end of the year,” said Griffin.

That hotline will help open up communication, something Dr. John Landers with the Behavior Health Center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, agreed is vital.

“The first step is talking, just being open about mental health,” said Dr. Landers. “I think most people would be surprised how many people they know who’ve had a mental health concern.”

And like a physical ailment, there are ways to treat mental disorders.

“Depression, anxiety, any other mental health disorder – we understand them,” said Dr. Landers. “There are resources and we can help those people. The way they view the world right now, is not necessarily the way they’ll view it after treatment.”

As for Griffin, she has those tough conversations.

“We don’t want anyone else to go through what we went through,” said Griffin.

She uses Todd’s story to save others.

One of the most important things someone can do is to get educated and know the warning signs which are:

Threatening to, or talking about wanting to hurt or kill oneself, Seeking access to methods of killing oneself, Talking or writing about death, dying or suicide when out of the ordinary for that person, Abrupt personality changes, Dramatic mood changes, Feeling hopeless, Feeling trapped, Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities seemingly without thinking, Hostile behavior, Withdrawing from friends, family, and society, Increasing alcohol or drug use, Giving away possessions, Previous suicide attempt, Significant weight change, Inability to sleep or sleeping all the time, Neglecting personal appearance, Neglecting work, Seeing no reason for living or having no sense of purpose in life, Abrupt ending of a personal relationship, Unusually long grief reaction.

You can find more information on the warning signs at www.spanidaho.org.

If you, or someone you know, need someone to talk to right now, call the national suicide prevention lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.